Tray overload extender



AUS- 1, 1967 w. B. PANKNIN 3,333,722

inventa t* A M//M @mm United States Patent O 3,333,722 TRAY OVERLOAD EXTENDER Wallace B. Panknin, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 506,681 2 Claims. (Cl. 220-4) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A tray and extender combination is provided wherein the extender is formed of an upper horizonal closed loop `of comparatively heavy gauge wire, an intermediate rec tangular closed loop of substantially the same gauge wire, upright support wires of a smaller gauge and bottom support and locking bars on the outsides of the upright support Wires to form locking projections receivable in voids below an upper bead on the tray to releasably interconnect the tray and extender. The extender lalso has horizontal corner wires which serve both as a brace and as a support for an additional level of stacked combinations.

This invention relates generally to extenders for increasing the depth of a tray used to transport items such as bakery products, and more particularly to an extender made entirely of wire and having provisions thereon for interlocking with mating portions of the tray so as to provide a releasably connected unit which also permits a plurality of similar units to be vertically stacked without damaging the items contained therein.

It is an object and advantage of this invention to provide an improved extender -of the type described above which requires no additional or specially designed parts to perform the function of interlocking with the tray.

It is an object, advantage and feature of this invention to provide an improved extender which utilizes the natural resiliency of certain of its structure to permit the engagement and disengagement of the interlocking means thereon.

Other objects, advantages land features of the invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a disengaged tray and extender unit shown in their proper vertical relationship prior to connection;

FIGURE 2 is a-n enlarged fragmentary Iand cross-sectional view of the extender and tray combination shown in FIGURE l taken substantially along the line 2-2 in that figure, ybut with the tray and extender connected to more fully bring out the interlocking means; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary and crosssectional view of the tray and extender shown in FIGURE 1 and taken substantially along the line 3 3 in that figure, but also having the tray and extender interlocked in their connected positions.

Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose; as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, the extender shown generally at is used in conjunction with a standard bread transport tray 11 of conventional design and here shown fabricated of sheet metal. Tray 11 ice is of rectangular shape in plan view, and includes a horizontal bottom surface or wall 12 and two horizontally spaced apart pair o-f side walls 13 and 15 extending upwardly therefrom. Each of the tray side Walls includes laterally extending portions in the form of an inwardly rolled edge on bead 16 forming an inwardly facing void 17 therebelow. Conventional trays, such as tray 11, frequently have a groove formed around their outside lower portions as at 18 which permits partial nesting of a plurality of vertically stacked trays. This groove 18 forms a horizontal shelf 20 spaced below rolled edge 16, and the void 17 therebetween may be thought of as an indentation in the side W-alls 13 and 15.

Overload extender 10 is designed to matingly engage the side walls of tray 11 so as to -form a relatively rigid tray and extender unit, yet permit quick assembly and disassembly. The extender includes an upper generally horizontal wire member gener-ally 21 forming a closed rectangular loop comparable in dimensions to the tray. This rectangular loop consists of a irst spaced apart pair of straight wire portions 22 and 22a, and a second spaced apart pair of straight wire portions 23 and 23a.

Spaced below wire member 21 is a lower generally horizontal wire member generally 25 of similar shape to member 21 and also has two pair of spaced apart straight wire portions 26, 26a, 27 and 27a. Member 25 is aligned below member 21 such that portions 26 and 26a underlie portions 22 and 22a respectively, and portions 27 and 27a underlie portions 23 and 23ay respectively.

Portions 22 and 26 are rigidly joined together by a plurality of spaced apart and upright support wires 28 welded thereto and extending therebetween. Portions 22a and 26a are similarly joined, and together with joined portions 22 and 26 form a first pair of upright and spaced apart upright extender side walls 29 and 29a.

Joining straight wire portions 23 and 27 is a plurality of approximately upright support wires generally 30 welded thereto and extending therebetween; however, support wires 30 have lower portions 31 extending below wire member 25. Portions 23a and 27a are similarly joined. Support wires 30 and wire portions 23, 27, 23a and 27a form a second pair of upright and spaced apart extender walls 32 and 32a attached together at their upper portions by means of the iirst pair of spaced apart walls 29 and 29a.

Means are provided for interlocking the extender and tray together into a unit, and herein these means are attached to and form an integral part of the second pair of side walls. These means include a bottom support and locking bar formed by horizontal members 35 welded to and connecting the lower port-ions 31 of side wall 32, and a horizontal wire 35a connected in similar fashion to side wall 32a. Members 35 land 35a are welded along the outside facing side of their supporting side walls so as to protrude laterally outwardly therefrom and permit the interlocking of the extender and the tray, to be described shortly. It should be noted that the lower depending portions 31 of each side wall 32 and 32a lie in an upright plane which gives these lower wall portions s-ome lateral exibility -or resiliency toward and away from one another. Also, when the lower wall portions are undeformed, wire members 35 and 35a are spaced apart a distance generally equal to the spacing between rolled edges 16 of tray side walls 15.

In interlocking the extender `and tray, one of the Wire members 35 is positioned in the void or indentation 17 and rested on shelf 20. The other wire member 35 is then brought down on rolled edge 16 and pressed downwardly causing it to cam over the rolled edge 16 and snap into the void 17 on the other side wall. In separating the extender from the tray, the tray 11 can be held down with one hand and a lifting force exerted to one of the walls with the other hand. Inasmuch as the diameter of wire member 35 exceeds the diameter of rolled edge 16, sucient upward force on the side will cause wire member 35 to cam over rolled edge 16 and pull out of' the groove 17.

To facilitate the stacking of a plurality of tray and extender units, corner wires, as at 36, may be added to form -a support for the bottom of another tray identical to 11. These wires serve the further purpose of adding structural rigidity to the extender. Corner wires 36 are welded to the bottom of wire 21 so that the identical tray will -nest slightly below the uppermost surface of the extender and prevent lateral movement of the identical tray.

As can be seen, the extender makes 'use of itsV inherent resiliency, and does not require any special fittings or parts to adapt it for use with a standard transport tray, thereby'making it extremely simple in construction.

I claim:

1. In an open-top tray and vertical extender combination wherein said tray is of generally rectangular shape and includes fou-r upright side walls, and said extender comprises an extension of these side walls to permit relatively deep and fragile items vto be safely transported Itherein without being crushed when a plurality of tray and extender combinations are vertically stacked, said 'tray being formed of sheet metal, and' at least two of said vertical side walls having horizontal and elongate indentations formed therein and facing Ihorizontally inwardly toward one another, the improvement comprising an extender having 'an upper wire member `lying in a -generally horizontal plane forming a closed rectangular loop having two pair of spaced apart parallel portions of generally the same dimensions as said rectangular tray; a lower wire member having the same configuration as said upper wire member, saidlower wire member being aligned with and spaced below said upper wirel member to thereby vdene -a frst'and second pair of parallel and generally vertical extender side walls; a iirst plurality of spaced and upright support wires welded to andextending between the wire member portions in each of said 'lirst pair of extender side walls; -a second plurality of upright support wires welded to each of said second pair 4` of extender side walls and extending therebelow to lower side wall portions having an outwardly facing side', a horizontal wire welded to and along Iche outwardly facing side of said lower portions `for removable insertion within said elongate indem-tations to form an interlocking tray an-d extender unit; and wire mea-ns Welded near the top of said extender for bracing same and providing a' support for an identical tray and extender unit stacked thereabove.

2. In a rectangular tray and extender combination wherein said extender is used for increasing the depth of the tray so that items of a height larger than said tray alone can be safely transported therein, said tray h-aving spaced apart side walls with a bead along the top edge, which bead extends inwardly beyond the walls forming a void therebelow, the improvement comprising: said extender having upper and lower wire members, each wire member being formed of wire of a kgiven size formed into a rectangular closed loop, said wire members being parallel to each other and spaced apart vertically; a plurality of upright support wires welded to each of said wire members and extending therebetween, said support wires at two opposite sides of the rectangular wire members having lower portions extending to terminnses below the lower wire member, said support wires being smaller than said given size, horizontal support and locking bars positioned respectively at said two opposite sides and extending the length thereof, each support and locking bar being outside of said support wires at said terminuses and being welded to the support wires, said bars being larger than said support wires and forming outwardly extending projections receivable in said voids to interconnect the tray and extender, whereby by bending the support wires at one side a bar may be removed from said void to permit'separation of the tray and extender.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,925,919 2/1960 Wilson. 2,942,734 6/1960 Paddock 2l1-l26 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Examiner. 

1. IN AN OPEN-TOP TRAY AND VERTICAL EXTENDER COMBINATION WHEREIN SAID TRAY IS OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR SHAPE AND INCLUDES FOUR UPRIGHT SIDE WALLS, AND SAID EXTENDER COMPRISES AN EXTENSION OF THESE SIDE WALLS TO PERMIT RELATIVELY DEEP AND FRAGILE ITEMS TO BE SAFELY TRANSPORTED THEREIN WITHOUT BEING CRUSHED WHEN A PLURALITY OF TRAY AND EXTENDER COMBINATIONS ARE VERTICALLY STACKED, SAID TRAY BEING FORMED OF SHEET METAL, AND AT LEAST TWO OF SAID VERTICAL SIDE WALLS HAVING HORIZONTAL AND ELONGATEINDENTATIONS FORMED THEREIN AND FACING HORIZONTALLY INWARDLY TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: AN EXTENDER HAVING AN UPPER WIRE MEMBER LYING IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE FORMING A CLOSED RECTANGULAR LOOP HAVING TWO PAIR OF SPACED APART PARALLEL PORTIONS OF GENERALLY THE SAME DIMENSIONS AS SAID RECTANGULAR TRAY; A LOWER WIRE MEMBER HAVING THE SAME CONFIGURATION AS SAID UPPER WIRE MEMBER, SAID LOWER WIRE MEMBER BEING ALIGNED WITH AND SPACED BELOW SAID UPPER WIRE MEMBER TO THEREBY DEFINE A FIRST AND SECOND PAIR OF PARALLEL AND GENERALLY VERTICAL EXTENDER SIDE WALLS; A FIRST PLURALITY AND SPACED AND UPRIGHT SUPPORT WIRES WELDED TO AND EXTENDING BETWEEN THE WIRE MEMBER PORTIONS IN EACH OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF EXTENDER SIDE WALLS; A SECOND PLURALITY OF UPRIGHT SUPPORT WIRES WELDED TO EACH OF SAID SECOND PAIR OF EXTENDER SIDE WALLS AND EXTENDING THEREBELOW TO LOWER SIDE WALL PORTIONS HAVING AN OUTWARDLY FACING SIDE; A HORIZONTAL WIRE WELDED TO AND ALONG THE OUTWARDLY FACING SIDE OF SAID LOWER PORTIONS FOR REMOVABLE INSERTION WITHIN SAID ELONGATE INDENTATIONS TO FORM AN INTERLOCKING TRAY AND EXTENDER UNIT; AND WIRE MEANS WELDED NEAR THE TOP OF SAID EXTENDER FOR BRACING SAME AND PROVIDING A SUPPORT FOR AN IDENTICAL TRAY AND EXTENDER UNIT STACKED THEREABOVE. 